U.S. media is not liberal

In his letter to the editor on Friday, March 9 ("Directed to the 'left'"), Stephen Bieda claims that the "liberal" media has not reported on the brutal shooting of a Navy SEAL after he dropped off a helicopter. I hate to break it to you, Mr. Bieda, but the media isn't liberal. That's a myth perceived by the extreme right and exploited by the moderate right when it works for them.

With the exception of corporate-donor-dependent NPR, every single major U.S. media outlet is a corporation. Therefore, it is corporate America's failure to report the death of this young man, not the liberal left. I quote a bumper sticker I recently saw, "The liberal media are only as liberal as the conservative corporations that own them." Also, I'm assuming your access to the liberal left is restricted to corporate media, because contrary to your claim, on Wednesday, March 6, Human Rights Watch immediately condemned the apparent execution by Al Qaida/Taliban forces of this young man.

Mr. Bieda further implies clearly that since the Al Qaida/Taliban soldiers showed no mercy to the Navy SEAL, human rights groups have no right to complain about the status of the "unlawful combatants" detained in Guantanamo Bay. I won't go into how shaky it is to withhold POW status from a group of largely conscripted dirt-poor fighters based on the fact that they weren't wearing uniforms, but I would be interested, Mr. Bieda, in learning about how you define "civilized." Just why do you think the Geneva Convention happened? Does our ethical behavior depend on the ethical behavior of our enemies?

Is "taking the higher ground" only relative? Or is it based on some unshakable ethical foundation, as most conservatives are so inclined to claim, at least when it suits them?

Patrick Bolger
second language acquisition and teaching graduate student

Please, take a step back, Mr. Bieda

Thanks for printing the letter from Mr. Bieda; it is always interesting to learn what might be on the minds of fellow citizens.

It should be remembered that it took until Wednesday to learn of the Navy SEAL's fate, thanks to the restricted role the media is allowed to play in covering the antics of the military.

It might be good to brush up on what soldiers do. A popular anthem calls the Special Forces "fearless men who jump and die." It is pointless to refer to such activity as cold-blooded executions. What manner of outrage should be expected from reports of soldiers doing their jobs? Don't forget hundreds of evildoers were then killed, presumably in cold blood, in accord with stated objectives.

It surprises me that the population at Guantanamo Bay has remained essentially static. Based on Bush administration statements about evildoers and the need for secret tribunals, I expected a steady stream of body bags leaving the facility until any perceived problems there simply ceased to exist.

Regarding Mr. Daschle, it is the right and duty of the 'loyal opposition' to ask questions. These are not impertinent questions. We have been asked, after all, to consent to a war against Evil, to be conducted in as much secrecy as can be accomplished, essentially forever. Considering the encumbrances on our society in the name of Homeland Security, should we not be allowed to know that we are being successful? Hopefully answers will not come from an agency which sets up an Office of Baldfaced Lies - aka Strategic Information.

Mr. Bieda, step back a bit from the fury. It only dulls the senses and shortens lives.

Eric Schaufelberger
biomedical communications staff

UA shouldn't sell student social security numbers

I'm not one to believe everything I hear, but I was listening to news radio and heard that UA has been selling students' social security numbers to credit agencies and companies of that nature. I don't know who is responsible for the sale of our social security numbers, but whomever is, I am appalled. It upsets me even more that the punishment received was a mere "slap on the wrist."

With the money troubles UA has been having, I wonder what other underhanded schemes UA has thought up. There is all this talk that we have no money here, jobs and classes have to be cut, yet you have the audacity to sell our social security numbers. Professors tell us they cannot post our grades by our social security numbers because it is "private information" - the administration (or whomever) does not allow it. Funny, it's such top secret information that they go and sell - illegally, mind you - our social security numbers. What a crazy world we live in.

Maybe you thought no one would hear about it; college students certainly don't listen to news radio... ah, but I heard. I heard, and I think who ever is behind the selling of our social security numbers owes every student an apology. What a great school I attend. Why didn't I choose ASU? So it's a bad college, but they don't illegally sell social security numbers.

Whitney Meeker
psychology freshman

Winters usually creative - not this time

In response to Ms. Lindner's March 18 letter: Comedians are free to gather their material from any subject they wish. But what makes the great comedians great are their original views on these subjects. N.C. Winters usually voices very original thoughts but failed to do so on this occasion. I agree. Winters is a talented cartoonist; the original material that he puts in his cartoon is consistently the best thing on the Wildcat's back page.

But that is the only thing we agree about. My letter was not slander; I was merely voicing my opinion that I did not like the blatant plagiarism in one of his cartoons.

If a professor voices his opinion on my work by giving me a zero on a paper for plagiarism, is that slander? No. Either your definition of plagiarism or the topic of my last letter is badly out of tune. I did not say that there cannot be a "Voice of Doom" comic (about) airport security. That subject is clearly in the public domain and can be used by anyone who chooses to critique it. However, if you read the specific comic I referred to in my last letter (March 8), the first two panels are nearly word-for-word copies of a single joke told by George Carlin. That is an example of plagiarism because it copies a specific idea presented previously by somebody else, not because it is also about airport security.

Justin Bartel
astronomy freshman